NOAA August forecast calls for more excessive heat in Florida

Wednesday

Sep 14, 2016 at 12:01 AMSep 14, 2016 at 4:12 PM

The August outlook calls for more unusual heat for the U.S. East Coast, including all of Florida, in August. (Credit: NOAA/ CPC)

If you were looking forward to a return to a more seasonal weather pattern next month, don’t get your hopes up. The new August forecast by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, released today, predicts that the summer heatwave will continue in Florida, and in most of the Eastern U.S.

Of course, August is normally a hot month in South Florida with average highs of 91 at the beginning of the month edging down slightly to 89 by the end of the month. But summer heat can be particularly intense if high pressure settles over the area and limits cloud cover and afternoon shower activity. That has been the story in Palm Beach during the first three weeks of July.

Meanwhile, the Desert Southwest is also expected to be unusually warm in August, along with the West Coast from California north into Washington.

In addition, the August-October forecast predicts above normal temperatures nationwide with the greatest chance for excessively warm temperatures in Florida and the Southeastern states.

The new three-month outlook calls for above normal precipitation in South Florida from August through October. But below average rainfall is favored for Florida in late fall and early winter due to the developing La Niña in the tropical Pacific, forecasters said.

CPC forecasters hedged their bets on August rainfall in Florida, saying there are equal chances for above, below or normal precipitation levels. West Palm Beach averages around 8 inches of precipitation in August.

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RAIN ON THE RADAR: A tropical wave near South Florida is boosting rain chances as the week winds to a close. They’re at 40 percent today and rise to 50 percent on Friday and Saturday, according to the National Weather Service in Miami.

Weather Underground and AccuWeather put rain chances at 60 percent Friday and Saturday. Look for fast-moving showers coming in off the Atlantic.

Wednesday’s high at Palm Beach International Airport was 92 with a low of 82 — ditto for Palm Beach. A tenth of an inch of rain fell at PBIA; 0.06 of an inch on the island. July rainfall totals are running 2.8 inches below normal.

A tropical wave over the Florida Straits was generating showers in the Keys and the Bahamas. (Credit: NOAA)

RECORD WATCH: The low in Melbourne on Wednesday was 82, which tied a record for the warmest minimum temperature for the date, last set in 2010.